UGLOBAL IMMIGRATION MAGAZINE
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Another immigration option is called citizenship-by-
investment, which in Europe is officially offered in Cyprus,
Malta, Moldova, Montenegro and Austria. Turkey, which
straddles both Europe and Asia, also offers citizenship-
by-investment. Of those countries, Cyprus and Malta
are the most popular programs. Generally speaking,
though, countries in Europe require obtaining permanent
residency first before citizenship.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
GOLDEN VISAS & OTHER PROGRAMS
Requirements of investment immigration programs
in some countries like Canada, the United S tates,
Australia and New Zealand can be very strict. They may
have limitations on dependents’ ages, require English
fluency, business management skills or minimum stays
in the country. By and large, however, Europe’s Golden
Visa programs have easier requirements that make
immigration easier. Most European programs don’t have
requirements like creating jobs, starting a business (which
includes creating complex business plans and paying
taxes), having business management skills or speaking
the native language. For example, if investors don’t speak
Spanish, Greek or Portuguese, or lack skills to start a
business, it wouldn’t impede them from obtaining a
Golden Visa to live in Spain, Greece or Portugal.
Fast-track processing is another key difference. European
Golden Visa programs let investors and their families
live in the EU relatively quickly compared to programs
Comparison of resident-by-investment programs using real estate investment in Europe
CRITERION
GREECE
CYPRUS
MALTA
LATVIA
PORTUGAL
SPAIN
PR Program
Minimum Investment (Not Fund)
Proof of Income
Processing Time
Dependent Child Age
Dependent Parents
Time to Apply for Citizenship
Visa-Free Travel to
Minimum Stay
Request for Extend the PR
≥
≥
≥